The first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series, A Princess of
Mars, has been picked up by IDW Publishing to be adapted into a five-issue
mini-series by writer Dan Taylor (Hero Happy Hour) and artist Ted
McKeever (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up).

Burroughs’ A Princess of
Mars, which began his professional career, introduces readers to pulp hero
John Carters, a Civil War veteran finding himself transported to Mars. In the
midst of warring Martian species, Carter must survive the perils of the Red
Planet, while trying to win the affections of Dejah Thorisa, a fellow captive of
the Green Martians and the princess of Mars.

The creative team at IDW,
Taylor and McKeever, both have drawn on their love of Burroughs’ work for the
upcoming mini-series and hope to introduce new readers to amazing worlds created
in the exposition of his writing.

“Both Ted and I are fans of
Burroughs’ original work – his descriptions and detailed exposition being a

major reason why we are,” said Taylor. “While it’s impossible to
incorporate everything that Burroughs wrote in the original A Princess of
Mars into a five-issue miniseries we are trying to stay as close to the
original material as possible and not steer far from what is already a
wonderfully imagined world. But, we are also being sure not to emulate what has
been done in previous comic adaptations.”

“What most drew me
to this project was the fact that the novel had such an impact on me in my
youth,” said McKeever in a recent press release. “Burroughs’
storytelling is so rich with textures that I wanted to expand on that, and yet
stay as true to the core soul of the series as possible. Like H.G. Wells and
Jules Verne, Burroughs’ truly was a genius far ahead of his
time.”

Fans can also expect to see stunning covers by some of
today’s top cover artist, including Frank Cho and Mark Wheatley. A Princess
of Mars is set to hit stores in August.